Transatlanticism
by berrywarbler
Summary: Written as a request for irelandrain74; Blainchel based upon the song "Transatlanticism" by Death Cab For Cutie. Established Blainchel.


Rachel didn't like being away from Blaine. When they went away to college, the only two from their graduating class to actually make it to New York, they bonded quickly as they explored the city and reminisced about home. Their friendship evolved over time, turning into a surprising romance that neither had really anticipated, and now in their senior year the two were going stronger than ever.

Except for the whole Rachel-Studying-Abroad thing. That was kind of putting a damper on the otherwise seemingly perfect relationship.

She had applied for the program before her and Blaine started dating, and she knew she couldn't turn it down once she got accepted in the spring. Blaine had looked uncomfortable, telling her she should go when he clearly wanted her to stay, and that was the first time she knew she was in love with him. Previous boyfriends would have acted selfishly, asking her to stay, or broken up with her and said that it was pointless if she was across an ocean. But Blaine was sure that they could handle this-that she could be in London, and he could be in Manhattan, and that they could still work through everything and anything that popped up.

And while it was hard to be so far away from Blaine, they were managing to do okay. They talked as often as they could, considering their jammed schedules full of last minute classes and activities. Rachel was in the midst of an internship at a theater, understudying for one of the stars of the show and learning more hands on stuff by actually being in the field, while Blaine was cramming for his multiple business classes so he could graduate on time in the spring.

When the actress Rachel was understudying for fell ill two days before the show opened, Rachel panicked to Blaine, forgetting that it was four in the morning in New York, though he never complained. He told her how wonderful she would be, how he wished he could fly out to see her, how if he didn't have a giant test that day he would. He comforted her and calmed her down from an entirely different continent, reassuring her of just how talented she was. And opening night, when her performance went off without a hitch, she ran to her dressing room to call him, only to find a giant bouquet of flowers waiting for her, a new text on her phone saying _I hope the flowers got there all right, I wish I could have been there to see you kick ass, I'm sure you were perfect. Love you. _She had declined the invite to the cast party, instead choosing to talk to him for almost five hours as she recounted everything that happened.

It had been exactly four months and 17 days since she last kissed him goodbye in JFK, her heart breaking as she walked over to security and left him behind. Talking on the phone wasn't good enough anymore, the homesickness was starting to settle deep into her chest now as every day passed on. It was becoming rainier every day, which only seemed to reflect her mood, her program was so close to being over that it seemed like the end was never going to come near.

She liked to walk back to the small dorm room she had to stay in, and the day had started out sunny enough. Unfortunately as she stood outside the theater, looking above at the threatening clouds, she knew it was only a matter of time before it started to pour. Frowning, she rushed home, people around her just as disgruntled as they hurried towards their own destinations. She thought bitterly about how it would be such a relief to run into Blaine's small apartment back in the city, how he would direct her into the shower before she caught a cold and give her a pair of his sweats to wear while her own clothes dried, maybe heating some soup up for the two of them before they curled up to do their respective homework.

Instead, she was heading to an empty, one person dorm room barely bigger than her closet in Ohio. Blaine wouldn't be there to cheer her up and listen about her day, nor would she get to hear about his-not without a phone pressed against her ear. They couldn't snuggle under blankets and whisper secrets to the other, not for another month and a half. It felt like it was too much to bear, the separation between them suddenly feeling like too much for Rachel.

When she opened the door to her room, she barely flung her coat off and didn't even bother changing before dialing his number, aware that it was entirely too late as she stripped the rest of her drenched clothing off and waited for him to answer.

"Rachel?" he yawned, his voice sleepy and she felt a slight pang of guilt for waking him up as she slid into her own bed, so many miles away.

"I'm sorry for calling so late," she apologized, and he muttered something about how it was never too late to hear from her, though it was muffled by another yawn.

"Is everything okay?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"I just missed you a lot," she responded, her voice low.

"I miss you too," he whispered back, and she could practically feel the smile coming from him. "But there isn't that much longer until you're back here with me," he promised.

"I know. I just wish I was there now. I need you close to me," she admitted, and he chuckled softly as she watched the rain fall from outside the window next to her bed.

"I wish you were here now too," he assured her, his voice soothing. "I love you."

"I love you too," she replied, and though neither hung up, they didn't talk too much longer, eventually falling asleep on either end of the phone, on opposite sides of an ocean.


End file.
